NORTH COAST, Calif. — The 18th annual Mendocino Film Fest is here.

Filmmakers and special guests are coming to the beautiful coast from far and wide! Tickets are selling fast, so be sure to snap yours up today.

For insiders, lots of notable locals will be on hand. Directors Ana Blanco and Natasha Benjamin will be attending along with other Noyo Harbor community members to celebrate the local premiere of their fascinating documentary about kelp forests entitled Sequoias of the Sea, showing Friday, May 30, at 1 p.m.

Will Hawkes, local boy made good and the co-writer of the Oscar-nominated short film “The Last Ranger,” will attend with his film in the “Making a Difference” short film program  on Friday May, 30, at 10 a.m.

A dozen more local creatives will be celebrated on the festival’s closing night event on Sunday, June 1, “Reel Mendo.” This showcase of local talent is a yearly festival favorite. 

This year includes a collection of 11 terrific short films by the very own Mendocino County filmmakers. Topics run the gamut from art and architecture to mushroom foraging to bootlegging to murder — with a host of subjects in between.

The festival — which runs May 29 to June 1 — will feature an eclectic selection of 67 local, American independent and international films from 20 countries — all of them riveting, with several made by Oscar and Emmy winning directors and producers. 

Moviegoers will have the rare opportunity to meet and chat with filmmakers following screenings and learn about their inspirations and challenges.

Come and learn about “Women Who Dare,” which showcases six powerful films about visionary and determined women who pursued their passions and defied the odds. For the first time, 55% of the slate of films are directed by women.

Calling all art and music-lovers! The program includes 17 films having to do with the arts, several resonant documentaries about the power of music, ranging from the songs of John Lennon to Giuseppe Verdi to Afro-Cuban jazz, and others focused on several facets of the arts — tapestries, photography, filmmaking, literature — compelling stories conveyed in both documentary and narrative form.

On Friday night, in the Festival’s signature tent, we will feature Coastal, a riveting documentary about one of the greatest rock musicians of all time — Neil Young. The film is directed by Young’s wife, actor/director Daryl Hannah. 

The movie will play Friday, May 30, at 7:30 p.m. and will be followed by a ’70s rock and roll party with five-piece band Moon Rabbit.

Animal and nature lovers will enjoy storytelling featuring sled dogs in the Norwegian Arctic, grey wolves in Yellowstone and flocks of sheep in the Pyrenees. And for all the gourmets and gourmands out there, we have a trio of culinary-themed documentaries — covering cheese, pastries and Italian cuisine — that you surely won’t want to miss.

The festival proudly features 16 environmental and social justice films this year. Current pressing sociopolitical issues like climate change, immigrant rights, LGBTQ freedoms and the Gaza-Israel conflict are an essential part of the programming lineup.

And if you just want to spend an evening laughing — and who doesn’t enjoy a good chortle — come to the Festival Tent on Saturday, May 31, at 7:30 p.m. to hear hilarious Bay Area comedian Natasha Vinik preceding the showing of the perceptive and funny documentary, Anxiety Club.

On Sunday, June 1, the festival offers its Fourth Annual Native Cinema event, one of the fest’s most popular screenings. This year features the Hawaiian film “Standing Above the Clouds” and a short film about the Kashia band of Pomo called “Our Ocean, Our Future.”

Satisfy your most pressing grammar questions and meet grammarian Ellen Jovin at her Grammar Table outside Gallery Bookshop in Mendocino from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 31. Don’t miss her film Rebel with a Clause screening on Saturday and Sunday, May 31, and June 1. 

Perhaps watching delicious pastry being baked in “The Sweet Story” (Saturday at 10 a.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.) has whet your appetite? Then come for "Coffee with the Filmmakers” Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1, at 9 a.m. at Cafe Beaujolais Garden and have a chat and a snack with the creative forces behind your new favorite movies.

To purchase tickets, go to MendoFilm.org/tickets. They can also be purchased at Festival Headquarters: Mendocino Film Festival Office, 45062 Ukiah St. To stay up to date all the Festival news, and to peruse this year’s complete program, please visit MendoFilm.org. Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram for announcements, radio interviews, film updates and more.